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Schoolgirl bully methods exposed

/ Korea Times fileAn “outsider” schoolgirl’s recent online post shows how Korean children bully those not in their circles.The girl claimed that three classmates in Uljin, North Gyeongsang Province, approached her and asked her to join a trip to a water park in Gyeongju. She was surprised but accepted the girls’ offer. They told her to meet them at the park on a certain date.Her father took her to the park but when she got there was no sign of the three girls.

Mar 6, 2015By Ko Dong-hwan

Classroom honor for Sewol victims

Lee Ji-hyeDanwon high school classrooms that victims of the Sewol ferry disaster used will be preserved until the end of the school year.Gyeonggi Province superintendent of education Lee Jae-jung explained on CBS Radio Wednesday the plans the local office had to honor the disaster's victims."The students were in their second years in high school, and they would have been seniors this month, along with the other survivors in the same year," Lee said."We plan to give the deceased an honor graduation when the survivors graduate, meaning we plan to keep the classrooms the way they are now until their expected date of graduation."Lee said counseling would be provided to survivors.The education office also will launch an academic funding program, "The April 16 Danwon Scholarship Foundation," on April 14 for those in need."We lost 250 students and 11 teachers, and in memory of them, we plan to set up a private foundation funded by teachers from Gyeonggi Province and other students to provide help to those who need it," Lee said.

Mar 6, 2015

Spring is coming

A boy looks at frogs at the Seoul Grand Park in Gwacheon in Gyeonggi Province, Thursday, on the eve of gyeongchip, or the day on the lunar calendar when hibernating frogs awake./ Yonhap

Mar 5, 2015

Plastic surgery clinic 'curse' hits ad models

Clara Lee, left, and Lee Tae-im / Courtesy of NaverA plastic surgery clinic in Gangnam district, southern Seoul, is at the centre of a “curse” rumor involving actresses who worked as its official models.Clara Lee, 29, and Lee Tae-im, 30, who were the clinic’s official models, have recently seen their careers suffer.Clara, 29, who was the clinic’s model from January until December last year, saw her reputation plummet in December when she waged a legal dispute against her agency, Polaris Entertainment, in a bid to terminate her contract.She claimed the company’s CEO sent sexually harassing messages to her. But the Korea Entertainment Management Association criticized her for “disrupting the nation's entertainment industry” with the release of the statement and urged her to halt her career.Lee, 30, who took over from Clara as the clinic’s model, recently caught flak after an MBC insider revealed she had abused singer Kim Ye-won during the recording of “My Tutor Friend” in late February. See related article. The actre

Mar 5, 2015By Ko Dong-hwan

Plastic surgery clinic 'curse' hits ad models

Lee Tae-im cornered for cussing at singer

Lee Tae-im, left, and Kim Ye-won / YonhapVoluptuous actress Lee Tae-im is in hot water after abusing singer Kim Ye-won during the recording of a TV show.The actress, 30, who regularly appears in MBC entertainment show “My Tutor Friend,” cussed at Kim, 27, while recording the program on Feb. 24, an MBC insider was quoted as saying.Kim asked Lee, who was getting out of the water after swimming, whether she was cold. Lee then yelled at Kim for talking down to her, surprising program staff, the insider said. He said Kim didn’t talk down to Lee at the moment and Lee heard it wrong.Lee also blew her schedule on Feb. 23 when she was supposed to participate in recording the program.  The program fired Lee but said she had to step down due to a health issue, the insider said.

Mar 5, 2015By Ko Dong-hwan

Lee Tae-im cornered for cussing at singer

SK removes photo from applicant forms

Employees walk out of the SK headquarter buidling in Jongro, central Seoul, in this file photo. / Korea Times fileBy Kim Bo-eun SK Group has decided to stop obligating those who seek jobs at the firm to submit their photographs. “It takes up to 200,000 won for female job seekers to take photos, if you consider the costs of getting make-up and hair done. We wanted to alleviate the cost burden for them,” Cho Hyun-chul, PR team project leader said Thursday.Cho stated this is as the primary reason, but added that the company “wanted to remove the possibility of evaluating applicants based on prejudices that can arise from their appearance.”“There really is no need for pictures because we’re not hiring celebrities. The job openings for SK Group do not regard appearance,” he said.The group has also downsized its section for credentials. Applicants are now only required to specify their academic background and GPA.It removed the section where applicants fill in foreign language test scores, IT-related skills, experience abroad, awards, and work expe

Mar 5, 2015By Kim Bo-eun

Beauty goes DIY

/ Courtesy of Etude House By Rachel LeeIn tight economic times, more people are turning to “self-care” beauty products to save money.According to the country’s beauty industry, cosmetics and skincare makers have launched DIY products at reasonable prices.“Watching your beauty budget doesn’t mean you can’t treat yourself to a new hair style or color,” said an industry insider.One product, Super Million Hair, consists of fine particles of artificial hair that give the impression of thicker hair. A bonding agent holds the fibers in place on the thin area.  Etude House released in January Enamel+ing, an at-home gel manicure set. It contains a LED-light, nail polish remover and five gel nail colors.Korea Tech has released a platinum-coated face roller, Refa, which is designed to reduce wrinkles.

Mar 5, 2015

Hormone promises no-exercise weight loss

/ Korea Times file Scientists have discovered a hormone that could take the sweat out of losing weight.According to a University of Southern California study, a hormone dubbed MOTS-c mimics the effect of exercise, which helps you lose weight.The hormone increased insulin sensitivity and allowed the body to process glucose sugars, researchers said.  “This represents a major advance in the identification of new treatments for age-related diseases such as diabetes,” the Daily Mail quoted Pinchas Cohen, a researcher at the University of Southern California, as saying.  The team tested the hormone on mice that were fed a high-fat diet, which led to a resistance to insulin. 

Mar 5, 2015

Hormone promises no-exercise weight loss

Who is suspect Kim Ki-jong?

 Kim Ki-jong, 55, attacked U.S. Ambassador to Korea Mark Lippert with a knife in central Seoul, Thursday. /YonhapBy Lee Min-hyung55-year-old suspect Kim Ki-jong cut U.S. Ambassador Mark Lippert’s left wrist and face with a knife at the Sejong Center for the Performing Arts in downtown Seoul, Thusday.He was immediately arrested on the scene.  "Today I committed a terrorist act," he told the police. "I made handouts in opposition to a military drill." His crime came three days after the South and the United States began their annual Key Resolve exercise on Monday. This is not the first time Kim committed crimes of its kind.Kim, leader of a pro-North Korea activist group that wants unification on the peninsula, threw two chunks of cement at the Japanese Ambassador to Korea in 2010 and was arrested. He was given a three-year suspended jail term. Following this, he wrote a book about this incident.He also attempted to burn himself to death in 2007 in front of Cheong Wa Dae, demanding the truth about a rape in 1998 when a woman was attacked by four unidentified assailant

Mar 5, 2015

Obama calls Lippert

AFP reported that U.S. President Barack Obama on Wednesday called a former aide and now U.S. ambassador to Korea to wish him well following a blade attack in Seoul."The president called U.S. ambassador to the Republic of Korea, Mark Lippert, to tell him that he and his wife Robyn are in his thoughts and prayers, and to wish him the very best for a speedy recovery," said Bernadette Meehan, National Security Council spokeswoman.Meanwhile, the U.S. strongly condemned the "act of violence" which saw the U.S. ambassador to South Korea injured in an attack by a razor-wielding assailant on Thursday in Seoul."We can confirm that U.S. Ambassador to the Republic of Korea Mark Lippert was assaulted Thursday morning in Seoul while giving a speech. "We strongly condemn this act of violence," State Department deputy spokeswoman Marie Harf was quoted by AFP as saying, adding his injuries were not life threatening.

Mar 5, 2015

Lippert gets over 80 stitches on face

Others

Others

Schoolgirl bully methods exposed

Classroom honor for Sewol victims

Spring is coming

Plastic surgery clinic 'curse' hits ad models

Lee Tae-im cornered for cussing at singer

SK removes photo from applicant forms

Beauty goes DIY

Hormone promises no-exercise weight loss

Who is suspect Kim Ki-jong?

Obama calls Lippert

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